Mysuru: While as many as 38 people had the privilege to see eight palaces with lunch at Lalitmahal during the ‘Palace On Wheels’ launched on Sunday as part of Dasara festivities, what shocked everyone was the fact that 50 per cent of them were Mysureans.
Tourist flow to the city had dropped by 70 per cent following the Cauvery agitation after September 6, and has further dropped to 75 per cent, according to Mysuru Travel agents association head Mr C.A. Jayakumar.
Also the attention of politicians, who used to make a beeline to Mysuru for Dasara for the inauguration of various events related to their departments, seems to have shifted to the Cauvery conflict. Local ministers and MLAs including district minister Dr H.C. Mahadevappa, minister H.S. Mahadev Prasad, Education Minister Tanveer Sait, MLAs M.K. Somshekar, Vasu and others are doing the honours by inaugurating and managing the events.
On Saturday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was supposed to be part of the events but he had to leave for the all-party meeting along with Tourism Minister Priyank Kharge and Endowment department minister Rudrappa Maanappa Lamaani soon after the inaugural event atop Chamundi hills.
Minister for Kannada and Culture Umashree did not turn up for the inaugural event and gave a miss to the ‘Caring and Sharing’ programme held as part of Senior Citizens Day, Women’s Dasara and Dasara cultural programmes too.
Ministers who were supposed to inaugurate various programmes such as Police help desks (Dr G Parameswar), Film festival (R.V. Deshpande), Food mela (Mr U.T. Khader, Exhibition (Priyank Kharge and Ramesh Jarkiholi), Dasara illumination ( D.K. Shivkumar) did not turn up too.
On Sunday Minister H. Anjaneya gave a miss to inauguration of Yoga Dasara and Ramalinga Reddy missed the launch of Palace on Wheels. But Minister Pramod Madvaraj participated in the inaugural of the Dasara sports and half marathon on Sunday. But over 3000 people enjoyed ‘Soul India’ concert of noted musician Hariharan in front of Mysuru Palace in the evening.
